Moving to Bangkok: which neighbourhood?
Thonglor and its neighbours: seven BTS stops separate Chidlom from Ekkamai, and each one starts the day differently. So before budgets and floor plans, start with one question: how do you want to wake up? A run in the park, a walk to the office, a coffee on a quiet soi? Choose the morning, and the neighbourhood follows.
Chidlom & Langsuan
Wake up and walk to Lumpini Park.
The leafy sois around Langsuan Road, Ruamrudee and Soi Tonson are some of the calmest addresses in central Bangkok, with low-rise buildings, embassies and big trees, yet Central Chidlom and Central Embassy are a short walk away. Langsuan Road runs straight down to Lumpini Park.
Suits: executives, diplomats, couples who want a quiet, central address. Keep in mind: among the highest rents in the city, and fewer late-night options on your doorstep.
Ploenchit
Wake up and walk to work.
Ploenchit sits beside Wireless Road, home to several embassies including the US Embassy, and to office towers such as All Seasons Place and Park Ventures. Central Embassy is here, and the new One Bangkok district is a short ride south.
Suits: people working in the embassy and office district. Keep in mind: it is a business address first; weekends are quieter.
Nana
Wake up with everything within reach.
Bumrungrad International Hospital is on Soi 3 and NIST International School on Soi 15, between Nana and Asok. Lower Sukhumvit is busy and international, with more choice for the budget than the stations either side.
Suits: people who value a hospital or school nearby over a quiet street. Keep in mind: some sois here are known for nightlife, so the exact soi matters more than the station.
Asok
Wake up and be anywhere in the city.
Asok is where the BTS meets the MRT at Sukhumvit station, which makes it the easiest place to commute from in almost any direction. Terminal 21 sits on the junction, Benjakitti Forest Park and the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center are a short walk south.
Suits: commuters, frequent travellers, anyone who works across town. Keep in mind: it is the busiest junction on the line; choose a unit facing away from Sukhumvit Road.
Phrom Phong
Wake up and take the kids to the park.
EmQuartier, Emporium and EmSphere line the station, with Benjasiri Park in between. The sois around it have a long-established Japanese community, which means excellent supermarkets, clinics and restaurants, and a family feel.
Suits: families, Japanese expats, anyone who likes having everything on foot. Keep in mind: popular means premium, and the malls are busy at weekends.
Thong Lo
Wake up and walk to a good coffee.
Sukhumvit Soi 55 is Bangkok's dining street: restaurants, cafés, cocktail bars and community malls from the BTS to Phetchaburi Road. Bangkok Prep is close to the station, and Samitivej Sukhumvit Hospital is on Soi 49.
Suits: young professionals, couples, families who eat out. Keep in mind: the soi is long; a unit deep inside is a drive or a shuttle from the BTS.
Ekkamai
Wake up somewhere a little slower.
Ekkamai keeps the cafés and galleries of Thong Lo with a more residential pace and, often, more space for the money. Gateway Ekamai is at the station, and the Eastern Bus Terminal next door makes weekend trips to the coast easy.
Suits: families, creatives, people who work from home. Keep in mind: it is the furthest of the seven from the central business district.
Still deciding?
Most people end up choosing between two neighbourhoods, not seven. Tell me where you work, where the children go to school and what your ideal Saturday looks like, and I'll suggest the stations and buildings that fit.
Tell me your morning. I'll suggest the neighbourhood.
Rentals and sales for expats, executives and investors, in English, Thai, Chinese or Japanese.
Landmarks and facilities checked on the date above and may change.